Interview with Laurent Coulondre: Music (+ Love) = Life? Video

Jazz interview with jazz pianist and composer Laurent Coulondre. An interview by email in writing.

JazzBluesNews.com: – When you improvise, do you know where you’re going? Is it a matter of taking certain paths and certain directions?

Laurent Coulondre: – For me it’s a mix between liberty, self-confidence and work. It means that I’m working on my solos anyway and it’s not a shame to have his paths. In fact when you listen to a musician the final destination is to recognize him, and it’s that we are looking for!

JBN: – Do you ever get the feeling that music majors, and particularly people who are going into jazz, are being cranked out much like business majors? That they are not really able to express themselves as jazz musicians?

LC: – I never really worked with majors but as the jazz music business is hard today I think it’s difficult to sell cds without a consciousness of business. So maybe you have more concessions to do…

JBN: – What about somebody who is really gifted and puts together a band and just gets upset to the point of quitting because of the business aspects-the agents and the clubs?

LC: – I respect this but I know that in this world if you want to feed your family it’s always questioning about your priorities.. So if you prefer don’t think about business you take the risk to not earn enouth money to your family. Each artist have the right to choose, and sometimes chose the business part it’s not the best because someday you’r lucky and your art helps you to go when you want, someday not… we never know.

JBN: – How to prevent disparate influences from coloring what you’re doing?

LC: – First of all you have to know yours qualities and yours failling. Then you have to increase your failling and reinforce your qualities. After that when you listen to something you think it’s really you, you have to work and repeat this a lot! But anyway you’r influenced by a lot of things and a lot of musicians! So It’s sure you can listen and tell me that I have listen this or this pianists and it’s really difficult to find a «new» way but we’r trying everyday !

JBN: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

LC: – It depends on sun, alcohol, people and the night I passed before.

I try to hear only my soul when I’m playing live but sometimes you’r thinking about too much things and you helps you with intellect…

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; you’re okay with giving the people what they want?

LC: – I don’t know, for the moment they come back to my shows 🙂 So maybe it’s cool!

JBN: – Please any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

LC: – Opening for Sting was one of the best things I had to enjoy in my life.

He was so kind and he listen all my soundcheck and just after the show he check me!

Really cool night at “Théâtre Antique” Jazz à Vienne Festival in France.

JBN: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

LC: – All the music than we listen today is influenced by jazz! So we have juste to take the time to demonstrate this to the young people! It’s not easy but we try 🙂

JBN: – How important is it to you to have an original approach? Can you comment on the bridge between being a musician and being a composer?

LC: – It’s really fundamental!!! I think every musicians should be write something!

For me when you write something you try to express your personality, and playing your composition you begin to be you 🙂 !

JBN: – Do you have an idea of what it is you’re trying to say or get across? Is it an idea or is it just something that we feel?

LC: – I’m just trying to transmit some love and happiness when I’m playing. It’s a feeling and I hope people feel this!

JBN: – What do you see for your extended future? You know what you have going on? You have life? If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

LC: – More arts and more Jazz in TV, Radio, etc.. and Elementary Schools!!!

JBN: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

LC: – I try to listen some of new stuff every week, but in this end of year I listen a lot of old piano works and classical music!

JBN: – What is the message you choose to bring through your music?

LC: – Feel happy and enjoy the life!

JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?

LC: – New York in the 1960’s!! Jazzzzz and madness!

JBN: – I have been asking you so far, now may I have a question from yourself…

LC: – Why asking questions to the musicians like this?

JBN: – … to find out whether the musician’s eats intelligence or not. A musician without intelligence is a threat to us.

JBN: – So putting that all together, how are you able to harness that now?

LC: – Music (+ Love) = Life? Never have a life without music.

Interview by Simon Sargsyan